


Cheers

by lachoy



Series: Inked [1]
Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-15 11:59:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3446360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lachoy/pseuds/lachoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neku finally finds a dream and of course it's Mr. Hanekoma that he tells first. Who else would he tell?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cheers

Mr. Hanekoma being the first to find out about Neku's possible future career isn't what he had planned on. It had just happened, just like a lot of things in his life. But it was Mr. Hanekoma who found out before anybody else.

“Tattoos, huh?” Mr. Hanekoma asks, cleaning a mug as he thinks it over. “Can't say I expected it.”

“Neither did I,” Neku agrees, running a hand down the back of his neck as he sits down at the counter. “But what do you think?” He's going for a mix between casual and interested. It's not an easy thing achieve.

Mr. Hanekoma just gives him a look and smils. “Doesn't really matter what I think, does it? It's your life. You live it how you like.”

Neku doesn't know what he's expecting because of course Mr. Hanekoma was going to say that. But Neku wants to know what his idol thought, someone who he still wishes he could be more like. “I just want your opinion. I mean, unless you got some good reason for me not to do this then I'll still go ahead and try for it.”

“Hah! Good for you! Tell me, then, why do you want to do it?”

Neku's answer is immediate, flying from his lips without any trepidation. “I saw some guy walking by me one day. Loud music playing, acting like he didn't care, and he looked really mean. But he had this really amazing tattoo on his arm. It's called a sleeve. It was absolutely the coolest thing I'd seen--'sides from your stuff, Mr. H,” he quickly amends and Mr. Hanekoma puts a hand up to show no offense was taken with an amused smile. “But it was like...even if I didn't know this guy, even if I wouldn't ever see him again from that one passing; I kind of understood him? Like I got his deal, what he was trying to say. Like I saw a look into his mind and it was cool. I watched some documentaries about tattoos and this one guy just said something that moved me. He talked about what tattoos meant to him and how they're like these messages, messages people want to give so everybody can hear. Wouldn't it be so cool to give this walking message to a world? Everybody could see it.”

Neku can feel the grin on his face, excited, open, and happy. Much like the face he had before he had a bullet lodged into him three years ago. Once upon a time he would have been embarrassed to let anybody see this side of him, but he isn't now. He wants Mr. Hanekoma to see how happy he is, maybe to share it.

Mr. Hanekoma is looking back, a certain smile on his face that makes Neku feel like he passed some test. Maybe he has because Mr. Hanekoma is still a mystery to Neku sometimes and Neku doesn't think he'll ever understand. Yet Neku thought everything must be okay if he's smiling so he doesn't worry too much. Some mysteries aren't meant to be solved after all.

“Good to hear you so excited, Phones. I don't think anything can be too bad if it makes you this happy. Though, y'know, lots of people wouldn't be too happy with your choice of career.”

“Yeah, I know.” Many people in Japan still considered tattoos trashy, something only yakuza had, and even if people were slowly opening up to the idea of tattoos it wasn't like Neku didn't know he wasn't going to be judged rather harshly for it. Yet... “I don't really care, though,” he answers with a shrug. “Not like I ever really followed the status quo anyway. People can have their ideas and I'll have mine. It's cool.”

“What about your parents? What do they think?”

“Oh, they...don't know yet,” Neku says awkwardly, hand rubbing at the back of his neck. “You're kind of the first person I told.”

“Wow, I'm.” Hanekoma lets out a breath and he's giving Neku a fond smile. “Thanks for the honor. That's real sweet of you, kiddo.” Neku doesn't know if it's nearly such a big deal and he kind of wants to tell the other that, but he doesn't. Sometimes it's best not to argue things, Neku's learned. Not that it isn't just a little bit embarrassing to him.

“Heh, you're welcome. My dad's busy, some business trip or something. Mom's always working. She'll probably have some lecture. She's always liked my art, but she's never wanted me to actually go seriously for it. Not safe, right? I think she'll want me to go to college, but I can't really do that. I can't do both and college just isn't my thing,” Neku explains. He fully expects a complete parental-type answer from them and Neku's bracing himself for it. He just hadn't wanted to hear that yet and instead wanted to hear something from Mr. Hanekoma, someone who just seemed to get things in a way Neku still tries his hardest to understand. “I'll tell them, but just not yet. They'll kind of ruin the high I'm still going on. It's nice, finding a dream and all.”

“Sure is nice,” Hanekoma agrees and sets his mug down. “Coffee for the moment?”

Neku raises an eyebrow. Mr. Hanekoma dishes out advice, never free food and drinks. “How much?”

“Same price as always,” he answers and Neku sighs when the man laughs. “Hey, a man's got to eat.”

Neku's certain he could argue that for Mr. Hanekoma, but he instead just yanks some yen from his pocket to pay for a drink. Once the coffee is in front of him, Neku raises it. “Cheers,” he murmurs. “To living in the moment and dreams.”

“To Shibuya's greatest new tattooist,” Mr. Hanekoma says, lifting an empty mug he's cleaning in a fake cheer for the other.

Another smile forms itself on Neku's face and yeah, it's definitely great to have a dream to chase after now.


End file.
